Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandson (Ian), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!

Monday, July 30, 2018

The two kinds of coleus have taken over half the planter boxes this year. Also from left...

...(see the purple flowers on the front ones)...

...to right.

They are kind of like my own little hedge--LOL!

The ones in the front planters have been flowering for a long time. I have not wanted to trim them back because the bees love them! Those big bumblebees must come from some distance to find my coleus so I do not want to deny the bees. :) Makes me happy to see them here...even if I am scared of bees (and wasps).

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I made some soup last Tuesday--with pasta.

More the consistency of a stew really. The temperature dropped into the 70s and it felt so cool that I was back to making soup--LOL!

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We had our Goldmark "Meet and Greet" meeting on Wednesday at 9am. (More the time this night owl might normally be waking up or still be sawing logs.) There were at least half a dozen smiling Goldmark people here. They put out huge boxes of assorted rolls and doughnuts on each table with wads of paper napkins. They came around with pre-made coffee in containers I've never seen before--kind of like milk cartons--and disposable coffee cups. (I have my own red thermal cup and am trying to avoid sweets so I didn't partake.)

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They handed out these sheets.

We did get the new office phone number in the letter we were mailed, but you'd think they might have included the number on here--LOL! We've gone from a full time office manager to the office being open three half-days. That was all the information we got at that time. They said that as the meeting progressed and they heard our questions they would send around information accordingly. After an hour meeting full of questions...we got this outside our doors:

ROFL!! Basically the names of the people we have to ask for when we call our one office phone number--and where to either drop or mail rent checks. LOL!

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We are supposed to get a new activity director but they had no information on that at all yet. They were all very nice and sympathetically listening to all the questions and concerns of the residents. One lady said towards the end of the meeting that she has rented with Goldmark before and "they are wonderful"! First person I've heard to say anything nice about them, so that was hopeful.

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On another positive note! At the meeting several people complained about the weeds and thistles growing in the rock beds around the apartment and two men came around last week and pulled up weeds! Now I don't know if they were from federal housing or from Goldmark because Goldmark isn't supposed to take over until the first of August but I had thistles and a three mystery weeds that were almost 2 feet high and now they are gone! Looks much better out there--whoever is responsible.

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Think positive, right?

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Friday was a super busy day for me. I had Ian for Gramma Day all afternoon. Tickles me that he is still excited by trips to the dumpster and to the garage for more bird seed. He pushed the cart there and back--filled the bird seed container so carefully he didn't spill a seed--and also filled a smaller planter with dirt for growing some more cat grass. We took a break (Gramma's knee) and watched some Maru and Hanna...and then some of my own videos from YouTube--of Ian, Liam, Karma, my old apartment, and this one empty when we were first looking at it. Ian found them interesting and a little disturbing, I think--that he didn't remember Karma or my old apartment--or that he was a baby and toddler and didn't remember that.

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Then we went out and picked/cut dead heads, jet sprayed the patio, and watered the plants. By the time we were done Ian's pants and sandals were soaked--LOL! So Daddy had to bring along dry shorts and underwear when he picked us up. Yes--"us". I went over for dinner (Chinese!) and to spend some time with everybody. Liam is taking those first unsteady steps between Mama and Daddy--giggling and laughing all the way. I read Ian his bedtime story downstairs this time (knee). Then after the kids were in bed Leah gave me a ride home and came in till 10:30pm. We didn't actually do any crafts but she helped me with some One Drive issues and we just had time to gab.

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Wonderful day!

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Of course, Saturday was rest and recovery...but yesterday I did laundry, got the bullet ready for August, cleared off both the tables in the studio, and was blasted again by the jets flying overheard from the Fargo Air Show. Annie hid under the bed.

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McFamily was at the Air Show on Sunday. I had a brief downpour of rain and hail here. They had rain but no hail at the show. I don't know how to get pictures off Google+ and on to the blog, but Leah did send me some picks and quick videos of the Air Show. Maybe next time, but don't hold your breath. We've been having sharing issues with One Drive, too. I still haven't seen Ian's birthday video from here at my place--LOL! We'll figure it out--maybe. ;)

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Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I rearranged the two tables in the studio a while back. It helped some--for sewing--but for some reason (mostly because it is cramped in there) it has never been a very usable room. Those tables end up being a catch all because of that. We've never even gone back and really tried to organize the bookcases, etc, since I moved in. Chaos. I have a difficult time finding items I'm looking for sometimes--especially now that my memory isn't what it used to be dealing with about 15 years of fibro fog--LOL!

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Before pictures.

Tables piled with stuff.

Even switching the larger table to under the window--well, it was better, but there's still not a lot of room to move around in there. Awkward.

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AN ASIDE:.

While I was taking the before pictures I watched this car drive in and turn around by driving right on the grass! Not just a U-turn but they pulled way up on to the grass and then backed up--on the grass--a couple of times to turn around and face the other way.

He's special, I guess.

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The guy then backed his red car out of their/his garage. (Surprised he didn't back that out on the lawn, too.)

They were awfully cuddly for a married couple, to be honest. Maybe he was showing off for the girlfriend? By driving all over the lawn?! Was she impressed? She didn't appear bothered by the behavior? Who knows--but I had camera in hand and there you go. I am still shocked by some things people do for no reason.

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Anyways, back at the ranch...

I cleared off the tables.

(Not sure I'll ever find half that stuff again that got shoved into any empty spots I could find until I reorganize in there--LOL!)

Then I turned the smaller table as per Leah's brilliant suggestion.

Yes! I think this might work the best!

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THE PLAN:

Dagan and Leah ordered some furniture from Ikea and I asked them to order me a couple more chair mats for the studio, too. Thinking that if the chairs could move around easier maybe it wouldn't feel so cramped, right? And that idea has progressed to hopefully butting up the two mats and having one table on one end and the other table on the other end. Maybe be able to roll back and forth between them? One of the chairs broke a while back, as you may recall, so there's only one in there right now, anyways.

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Dagan is supposed to bring over the chair mats and help me get them down under the tables after work today. I am excited! I have needed to find a way to be able to do more. This has not exactly been a productive year so far with being sick so long, the bad flare that doesn't want to let go, and now the darn knee--LOL! So I wanted to be able to set things up in there so that I can leave everything out that I'm working on. That way I can do my "baby steps" and work on projects a little at a time. Whoohoo!! I am hopeful that this will make that room finally more usable and less just a storage area.

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My first project is to set up the sewing machine for some quick clothing repairs. But after that to set everything up to work on our Christmas cards!! :) :) We want to make more than one set of Christmas cards. I need some more sets of Birthday cards. I am completely out of bookcards. I have a box of scrap cards all organized and ready to construct. There are saved cards from other people to recycle. I need lots of plain cards, thank you cards...so many cards.

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Wish me luck! :) :)

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The mowers are here. They come on Mondays. Annie is sleeping in the chair next to me at the kitchen table. It's in the 80s, the AC is humming, fans are blowing the cool air down the hallway & into my bedroom, mourning doves are walking about on the patio now that the mower went around the side of the building, thinking about lunch and hobbling down to check my mail. May it be a great week!! :):)

Monday, July 23, 2018

Something I rarely see--LOL! Had a bad night--I think it was Monday night, actually. I woke up about 3am coughing and couldn't stop for 20-30 minutes. Then after that I'd cough when I tried to lay down--all day long--but I didn't cough much if I was sitting up. It miraculously disappeared so that I was able to go to bed about 9pm on Tuesday night and, after 2 hours of sleep the night before, crashed for almost 14 hours! Have had stuffed sinuses and a headache since then, but that is letting up some now.

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Plus that right knee (I did something to that I woke up with on the 8th) has been so painful that it had been messing with my sleep a lot, too. However I twisted it caused pain up the back of my knee, limping, and swelling--some days worse than others. Let's just say it was one of those weeks...two weeks, actually--LOL! A lot of quiet time with Annie and the TV!

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When I woke up on Thursday there was a note under my door about a meeting down in the community room at 1:30 that very afternoon. Said it was important and all activities were cancelled. So, of course, I hobbled down to find out what this emergency meeting was all about. Went early so I knew I could get a chair. (The last resident meeting we had was a couple of years ago and there were so many people that some had to stand.)

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The activity director, Pam, was somber and silent. Not her usual self. But she was making coffee and putting out cookies. People wondered what was going on? We were told we were waiting for a lady from the main federal housing office downtown--so you knew it was serious. Nazar showed up late, of course, looking the same as usual. But when the two maintenance men even showed up...well, I thought maybe the place had been sold. Something big was happening.

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Finally the entire staff and the lady from federal housing were gathered on the one end of the room by the kitchen--next to the table where I was sitting. Two strange men wandered in on the opposite side of the room. The stage was set.

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The lady we were waiting for started the meeting by telling us that the entire management staff was leaving at the end of the month. Everyone was in shock as they said their goodbyes one by one. Pam cried several times. Even the lady from federal housing teared up talking about how much they care about the residents and how they had put in to continue managing but were rejected by the investors (sounded like their contract was up the end of July and they didn't give them an answer till the end of June). The seniors were all concerned about them not having a job (did notice no one was overly concerned about Nazar not having a job--LOL!) and were assured that they were all being moved to other federal housing facilities. (Nazar is going to an all wheel-chair high rise--poor people.)

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But the worse was yet to come. They turned the meeting over to the two strangers. One never spoke and just leaned against the wall the whole time. The spokesman for the incoming management company said that nothing was going to change...many times. But when people had questions, he spoke like a politician and left the majority of the answers up to interpretation, or not completely answered. Often it was that he wasn't positive and time will tell type of answer. But our leases remain the same for right now (glad I just signed a new lease July 1st--so I am good for a whole year) and the rules won't change unless we sign new leases--which, of course, they will probably have us doing when our current leases are up. People were getting very nervous and some of them were getting obviously scared and panicky (we have people in their 80s and 90s here).

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The federal housing lady advanced aggressively part way down the room and was pointedly asking him if he was going to tell them who they were. She seemed ready for a fight and out to defend us--which was even more confusing. She had to ask him twice.

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He looked a little shamed by her and reluctantly the confession came out of his mouth.

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"Goldmark."

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There was a roar of shock and outrage--a roar! From a room full of seniors--myself included. I was surprised that everyone there had the same low opinion as I did of Goldmark. Obviously they are very well known up here...as the absolute worst company to rent from. They are absolutely for profit and known for high rents, never putting money back into the buildings, never giving back deposits, constantly raising rents, treating people like crap, and never being able to get in touch with them.

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Both Dagan and Leah had rented from them years ago. I remember one apartment Dagan was living in that was so filthy I couldn't stand to visit there and he could hardly stand to sleep there. It had flat, stained, shag carpeting with bare spots--dirty walls--just awful! I knew Goldmark was well known among the college student community but even all these seniors knew about them, too.

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You may remember I came up here to go to college. So I heard all about how Goldmark only cared if someone signed the original lease and they got their rent--which was high. But usually several people lived in any given apartment so they could split the high rent. I even heard that apartments were sometimes handed on to friends because Goldmark never cleaned the apartments anyways and never returned deposits...so why give them more deposit money was the attitude of the students. Understandable, but not smart for the person who originally signed the lease years ago.

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Anyways, there was such an uproar in the room--people shouting in dismay, people saying they were moving, some trying to ask questions. The old staff settled things down enough so he could answer questions. But, like I said, he answered them like a slippery politician. He did say that they have a 15 year contract with the investors and they had to agree to keep it low-income to get the contract. We will still deal with annual reviews from federal housing.

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But federal rules can change...also, the investors could say the rents should be higher. Federal housing will only help with a specific portion of the rent...beyond that, we would have to pay the difference. They could make it so we can't afford to live here even if they don't kick us out. Who knows?

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There were a lot of vagaries and confusion and partial answers. Supposed to be another resident meeting soon to meet the new management team. People milled about in the hallways afterwards...many saying they were moving. The big question on everyone's mind was why would a for profit horrible company like Goldmark even want to manage a low income complex?

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Time will tell.

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Myself--I'm not going anywhere. Unless they make it so I can't afford to live here I already know what it is like to watch a building crumble around me. And if we stay a senior building, at least there won't be kids smashing, tearing, and breaking things and pulling the fire alarm every few months. I love my apartment and I don't plan to go anywhere. I just know now odds are even worse that anything will get repaired. With Nazar they weren't good in the first place. My kitchen linoleum has never been repaired. So--not much different, right? I plan to wait and see what happens and hold my ground. ;)

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Anyways, despite my head cold and painful knee, Ian and I still wanted to have a Gramma Day. So Ian came over on Saturday with his lunch and snacks. He knew we would spend the day mostly watching some shows. We settled in together on my chair after lunch and watched a dolphin spy pod documentary (fake sea critters with cameras in them). Ian wanted to watch Cars 3 again and we were watching more Maru and Hanna youtube videos (one of his latest favorites) when Daddy came to pick him up. I appreciated a long afternoon of Ian cuddling. Had a really nice day. :)

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During the night Saturday night my knee was so painful. I had been doing stretches the whole two weeks--but nothing had changed and it seemed to be getting worse, if anything. Waking me up again--awk! Laying there feeling defeated I did a fed-up-with-this, straighter-than-straight, if-it-kills-me, super-duper angry stretch and I felt a pop in the back of my knee. And no more sharp pain! My knee has been really tender, sore, and touchy--no surprise after something being stretched out of place for two weeks--so I am being really careful with it and hoping whatever it was will heal up.

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Before I forget something else--LOL! Last week I forgot to make a comment on my blog post for a long time so that I could answer your comments by email. So if you didn't hear back from me you can go back to last week's post because I answered them online. Today I have a big note in front of my face to remember to make a comment--LOL! Sorry about that. Old dog and all. ;) I wish Blogger would fix that issue.

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Oh, and I did look it up and Annie came a year ago end of June! She's been here over a year already.

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Talk about not wanting to walk around to even take pictures...

...all I have are some pictures of the birds...

...checking out the colander I decided to try again to keep the patio cleaner.

Doesn't really work because there's just as much poop everywhere--LOL! But I was hoping it might curtail some of the sprouting of bird seed in the grass and the rocks around my patio. I was out there one day pulling the weeds (till my knee hurt too much) and got half a trash bag full! And I still have more to pull. You can see that fatter "grass" out there in the yard. Yup--bird seed sprouting. It's not crab grass--pulls right out.

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Well, that's about it from here this week. When we have the next resident meeting I'll let you know what I find out...and how my knee is doing. The head cold is already better. I hope you all had a painless week and this will be a better one for those of us who didn't--lol!

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Till next week, my friends. :) :)

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"We don't know what life will bring, so it is what we bring to life that matters."

Monday, July 16, 2018

Was a quiet week. Yesterday was the only day I could stand to leave the place open all day. Even if it was a bit damp, was a nice break to have some fresh air. Annie loved it, of course. She spent half the day scaring the birds away on a real power trip--LOL!

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I ordered something really silly--a set of Jinhao shark pens on Amazon.

Yes, they have a shark's head for a cap.

They come as regular nib or hooded nib fountain pens. I got the hooded nibs. They came with a converter, no ink--but I have tons of inks.

A few were hard to get started, but once I got them going they have all been working well. They were $12.74 for seven pens! Really inexpensive. What a hoot! Wait till Ian sees shark pens--LOL!

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Speaking of--no Gramma Day this week because Ian was starting to get a cold/cough so passed till next week. Leah did come over on Wednesday night, though. She made a card she needed and helped me with some techie questions I had. And we discussed the fact that I need more room for Ian and Liam's stuff--LOL!

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Ian's shelf in my little Ikea cart is packed to the top--and we raised it up, too--LOL!

So I am thinking of some kind of extra shelves that can go on top of the cube set in the corner of the living room. I think Leah picked this one up at Target. I can always store the push toy in the pantry or hallway.

But those cube shelves are not wide enough to hold the set of colorful satchels I bought a long time ago that I have stored on top of one of the bookcases in the hallway.

So, time to search around for the perfect shelves. ;)

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My tiny little icon stamps arrived from Australia. I love them! I went with grey for the health stickers: eyedoctor, dentist, doctor. (Six inch red ruler is for size comparison.)

But I went with colors for the rest: Blogger icon, sewing machine, cards, calligraphy nib, paint pallet, and exercise. She really had a lot of icons to pick from you don't always see!

Got one sheet called the study mix because it had a lot of paper and pen stuff on it.

You could pick matte finish or shiny and tiny or mini on many of them. I love the smallest ones for my calendar so they don't take up as much space and I'm a matte girl. These were from PeacefulmindDesign.etsy.com if anyone is interested. I haven't done a link for so long I hope this worked. Anyways, I obviously liked them because I don't often "promote"--LOL! They were only $1.99 to $2.10 per sheet which is really good if you have ever bought icon stamps. She mailed them out quickly and they took two weeks to get here. Worth the wait!

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So--short and sweet today. I haven't been up to much this past week. Knee and hip have been bothering me--could be the damp weather? Who knows? So--since it's harder to walk around a lot I've done some binge watching: Proof on Acorn TV, Low Winter Sun which Netflix will drop in August, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee on Netflix, and now I am re-watching season one of West World on HBONow before I watch season two (yup--liked it that much, strange as it is--or maybe because it is so strange--lol!).

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For me this is brief, eh? :) :)

Stay cool or warm as the case may be.

Until next week...

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"Who is it that can make muddy water clear? No one. But left to stand, it will gradually clear of itself."

Loa Tzu

Kind of sounds like a different version of this sentiment I've heard all my life..."It will all come out in the wash".

Another one that has come to mind a lot lately..."Give 'em enough rope..."

Monday, July 09, 2018

Another Monday is here already. Today looks a lot like this picture but with a few less clouds.

Supposed to be in the 80s all week--or 30s for you with Celsius. Thank goodness for air conditioning! We even had a heat warning out Saturday (which was Gramma Day). Air felt thick enough to cut with a knife--and Dagan and Leah were helping Amber move into her apartment--whew!

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Here was the whole family out in the lake over the 4th of July weekend.

Leah freckles and burns so easily that she has to stay covered up pretty much. Both Ian and Liam have her skin--especially Liam--so sun screen and sunhats are always around for the boys. Looks like they had a great time!

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You would probably have to enlarge the pictures to see this bird in the center.

I kept trying to get a good picture of one of what--according to google--could be either females...

...or immature yellow-headed blackbirds.

I think they are young ones because they have that slightly scruffy look to them...but they are smaller? Some have more yellow on their heads than others (young males?) and they seem to have some white on their wings. But the adults do not feed them and they don't beg for food like the baby grackles and sparrows. Maybe yellow-headed blackbirds parents are more of the tough love variety? LOL! Or possibly they are another type of bird altogether?

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Anyways, a couple people asked if I'd show pictures of my crystals and rocks in the bedroom. I don't even know the names of all of them anymore. The two real stone spheres--a crystal--and a labradorite.

The labradorite is rather magical with the parts that glow inside as you rotate it. Ian thought that one was pretty exciting.

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This isn't real--but it is pretty cool!

It's man-made glass. A red crystal ball!

No, I do not scry--balls or mirrors or any such scrying devices--LOL! I just thought it was super cool! You know how I like red.

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These are a couple rock larger crystal clusters--one is dirty tannish and the other blue and white, but don't know the proper names anymore. And then there's the huge, white geode! Very heavy, but Ian was still able to lift it. (He's a strong young man!)

That beautiful geode mysteriously appeared face down outside the run-down duplex where I lived in Rogers, Minnesota back in the 90s. It just looked like a huge bumpy rock--sitting right in the barren corner where the driveway met the front sidewalk. There had been nothing but bare dirt there since I had moved in but it probably had been a flowerbed at one time in the past. I took note of the huge rock that had never been there before, but kept walking.

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But it nagged at me for no good reason--I thought. (Honestly, this is how GA, my guardian angel--or spirit guide or whatever you want to label him--and I communicate a lot of the time.) Couldn't get that dumb rock out of my head so I finally went back out and looked at the mystery rock. I flipped it over--was caked thick with mud--but there was a spot that glistened in the sun. I rubbed--more sparkles. So I rubbed off all I could and then brought it in to clean it properly--and wow! Gave me goose bumps!!

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I asked the boys who lived downstairs if they had brought the rock to the front yard or if they had ever seen it before. Nope--what rock--they hadn't seen a big rock in the dirt. (They were the kind of boys who would have noticed...and would have smashed something with said rock.)

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So this gorgeous geode was a gift from the universe. :) I treasure it.

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These rocks are up on a shelf in the headboard. I took them down so I could get a picture you can see. The crystal wand was a gift from my friend, Lynnette, many years ago. The brown rock was a gift from an online friend, Spruce. It's from Labrador, Canada and is 3.95 billion years old!! You can google "ancient rocks in Labrador"--fascinating! They have found the oldest rocks on earth up there--before any life was even on earth. Can you imagine?! It truly feels ancient in your hands. That rock is really precious to me.

And then three more crystal clusters--another blue and white one. I can't remember what either of my blue and white ones are--kyanite, sodalite? Most everything I have purchased is here with me because I could/can feel the energy from it when I hold it in my hands. Even the red crystal ball--they had a less expensive, smaller red one and this big one. I was hoping the smaller one would be the one--but nothing. Held the big red one and it almost vibrated in my hands. So, it came home with me. That's how I roll. Yes, Ian has an "interesting" grandma--LOL!

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One thing different I did this week was get out the canned air and blow the dust off this old Underwood typewriter and hoist it out to the kitchen table.

I bought this years ago on ebay because it looked like the one I learned to type on in the early 60s down in the basement. Leah and I found a retired guy in Fargo who fixed and cleaned typewriters out of his garage. At the time I wanted to know it really worked and get a ribbon for it. But they are a bear to actually type on--LOL!

I recently watched this documentary called California Typewriter on Netflix...and that motivated me to at least type a letter or two on it, right? Well, one. Not easy to do with my bum arm and weak wrists these days--hehe! But it was really fun!!!

No bell, though. I can't remember if that was the case when I bought it or not. I love the sound of the keys smacking the paper and the carriage being slid back and clicked up...but I do miss the bell. I shall have to type another letter one of these days for sure.

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I had Ian all day on Saturday--we're talking from about 9:45am till 9:45pm. :) I did remember to make a video at the end of the day. It was past Ian's bedtime. We did find the video on youtube where Mr. Rogers visited Sesame Street, BTW. ;)

Three hours finger painting!

We went through everything in the kit I bought him--foam stamp shapes and rollers, weird rubber shapes on sticks...

...and he used his fingers, of course.

He wanted to do his hand prints--and really got into orange at the end of the long session. :)

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We had a wonderful day! I am still in rest and recovery mode--LOL!

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But I have started to do some daily brush lettering drills again. These were fun to do with a set of colored brush markers.

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Well, that's about it from here for the week. Another hot week ahead. I should take some more pictures and show you how great the flowers are doing. Ian watered them on Saturday and he wanted to put out the bird seed on the patio, too, all by himself. We did that right after breakfast before it got any worse out there--LOL!

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I will leave you with another evening shot. I love how the sunset reflects on the apartment building across the way.

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May your week be an excellent one.

I choose mine to be so. :) :)

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"Be a true representative of the goodness in your heart, and don't expect it to be easy or even noticed."